"Gurararara, Ron, don't tell me you've developed a 100% success rate enchanted fruit?" Whitebeard joked, though even he didn't believe his own words.
If he had truly developed a 100% success rate enchanted fruit, he'd immediately go after Kaido!
The Azure Dragon Fruit was so strong and his sons deserved to have it too!
The others all stared at Ron with eyes gleaming like hungry wolves, their eager gazes practically screaming.
'Please say it's true! Please say it's true! Please say it's true! Please say it's true! Please say it's true!'
"Hahahaha." Ron was amused by their expressions and decided not to keep them in suspense any longer.
"Pretty much. The new technique is called: Devil Fruit Replication, and the success rate is indeed 100%."
His light words drifted into their ears, but they struck like thunderbolts exploding in their minds!
Every syllable, every word, felt like a hammer slamming into their hearts, instantly plunging them into shock and disbelief.
They all stared at Ron as if they'd seen a ghost, their eyes filled with incredulity and fear.
For a moment, they even forgot to breathe, nearly suffocating themselves!
The air grew thick with tension, as though time itself had frozen.
Whitebeard was equally startled.
His sharp, eagle-like eyes widened so much they nearly popped out of their sockets.
The wine he had just swallowed made him cough violently and he nearly choked himself!
His face turned red from coughing, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, leaving him looking utterly disheveled.
"My boy, are you... serious???"
Ron nodded firmly once more, and this time, Whitebeard's heart finally settled.
"Gurararara, you truly are the lucky star of the Whitebeard Pirates! This era is destined to be ours—no, more accurately, it's Ron's era!"
Seeing this, the others were completely convinced.
The impact of this news was simply too overwhelming.
After a stunned silence, they erupted into ecstatic roars.
"Good gods! If it's really a 100% success rate, then enchanting a Devil Fruit would only cost 100,000 Berries!"
"Hey, bro, that's not enchanting—it's Devil Fruit Replication technology. The name suggests there's a difference."
"Gah... Whatever the technique, this is absolutely mind-blowing!"
"Vice-Captain Ron, I volunteer to be your first test subject! Experiment on me as hard as you want!"
"Get lost! I can hear your ulterior motives from across the Red Line!"
"Hahaha, now we can all use Pops' power!"
"This is insane!"
The group was so excited they nearly jumped out of their skins, their emotions soaring like fireworks.
Yet, just as their frenzy was about to spiral out of control, Ron raised a hand slightly and instantly restored calm to the room.
"Devil Fruit replication technology is fundamentally different from enchantment.
The success rates is 100% and the differences between the two are quite clear.
Enchanted devil fruit can grant additional abilities to ability users, while Devil Fruit replication technology copies an ability user's power and transfers it to someone else.
Moreover, the ability user who consumes the replicated Devil Fruit will lose their original ability, which will be replaced by the replicated Devil Fruit."
Ron scratched his head—this explanation was a bit confusing.
"Simply put, if you eat a replicated Devil Fruit, your original ability will be replaced by the fruit itself."
He then added.
"Of course, if you don't have any abilities to begin with, you'll gain the power of the replicated Devil Fruit."
Ace frowned slightly upon hearing this and couldn't help but ask,
"Ron, what about abilities gained through enchantment? Will those be replaced too?"
"No, replicated Devil Fruits only replace the ability user's original power.
Take your Mera Mera no Mi + Mythical Zoan: Phoenix as an example.
If you were to eat the Captain's Gura Gura no Mi, your Mera Mera no Mi would be replaced and you'd end up with the Gura Gura no Mi + Mythical Zoan: Phoenix."
Ace nodded in understanding, his doubts dispelled.
Marco stepped forward lightly and gave Ace a friendly pat on the shoulder, speaking in a cheerful tone to persuade him.
"Ace, stop hesitating and just replace that Mera Mera no Mi already. Think about it—if you switch to a Devil Fruit that suits you better, maybe you'll win against me next time."
Ace's face twisted into a stubborn expression at these words.
He snorted and said.
"Hmph! I only lost one match yesterday because I got careless. Next time, I won't lose."
His tone was full of defiance, clearly still hung up on yesterday's defeat.
"Alright, alright, we'll arrange a rematch sometime then," Marco replied with a smile, not pressing the issue further.
He knew Ace's personality—once he made up his mind, it was hard to change—so he didn't push any more.
Looking at Ace's still-determined gaze, Marco sighed inwardly.
The Mera Mera no Mi had been with Ace for a long time and honestly, replacing it now would be hard to accept.
This kind of emotional attachment and habit wasn't something that could be easily discarded.
However, recalling yesterday's battle, Marco couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
The power of the Gura Gura no Mi was simply overwhelming—it shattered Ace's Fire Fist before it could even get close, dispersing it into the air effortlessly.
It was downright absurd.
Ron, watching the two, also knew what had happened between them.
The outcome of yesterday's fight had been obvious—
Ace had lost, no question.
But what Ron was really concerned about was whether Ace would actually replace his Mera Mera no Mi with the Gura Gura no Mi or another fruit.
Still, the priority right now was making money.
As long as Ace had his Phoenix power and wouldn't die easily, everything else could be changed later.
"Alright, that's all I have to say. May you all grow stronger."
"Hahaha, thank you, Vice-Captain Ron!"
"Long live Ron!"
"Long live the Vice-Captain!"
...
Finally, after two and a half days, a good news coming like a thunderclap instantly shook the entire Jaya Island—there was word about the Heavenly Tribute!
This sudden information filled every person on the island with both excitement and tension.
"Old man, this time you have to let me take the lead!" Jozu insisted, his voice brimming with determination and eagerness.
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Enchanted devil fruit : a man made devil fruit that can grant additional abilities to devil fruit user, the success rate is 30% or so.
Replicated devil fruit : a man made devil fruit with 100% success rate but it will replace the original devil fruit the user consumed.